Terror charges for Al-Jazeera in Egypt prompt outcry

Today, the Committee to Protect Journalists joined other
leading international media freedom and human rights organizations, including
Article 19, Index on Censorship, and Reporters Without Borders, in calling on
the European Union and United States to demand Egyptian authorities drop charges
against Al-Jazeera journalists and release those under arrest.

"The deliberate chilling of media freedom and free speech
through arrests and criminalization of legitimate journalism has all the
hallmarks of the authoritarian Egypt of the Mubarak era," the joint statement reads. The statement comes two days after Egyptian prosecutors said they would put 20
Al-Jazeera journalists on
trial on criminal charges of incitement, distorting the country's image
abroad, and fabricating news to aid the Muslim Brotherhood, which the
government has declared a terrorist organization.

Thursday, U.S. State Department spokeswoman Jen Psaki condemned
the prosecution, saying, "The government's targeting of journalists and others
on spurious claims is wrong and demonstrates an egregious disregard for the
protection of basic rights and freedoms." She said the U.S. is "deeply
concerned."

CPJ Middle East and North Africa Program Coordinator Sherif Mansour has worked to advocate for democracy and human rights in Egypt. He has a master’s in international relations from the Fletcher School at Tufts University, and a bachelor’s in education from Cairo’s Al-Azhar University.